Mark Pope has struggled to land players to the basketball team, but the Kentucky Wildcats football team and coach Will Stein are having a lot of success. On Wednesday, they did it again, landing edge rusher Antwoine Higgins Jr. to the list of recruiting wins.

Higgins is a 6'3", 225 lb edge out of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a top 500 player in some rankings, and is rated three stars by 247Sports. He is noted as a good tackler and blitzer who has enough explosiveness to be an effective pass rusher off the edge.

Kentucky had to beat out some very good programs to land Higgins. Indiana was a strong contender, and he also had offers from multiple SEC teams, including the Tennessee Volunteers, who he took multiple visits with.

Stein has been red hot on the recruiting trail. Quarterback Jake Nawrot is a top 100 player, while four-star safety Tristin Hughes also signed recently. The Wildcats are also in the running for some other talented members of the 2027 class. It has been a fun offseason for Kentucky fans, something that hasn't always been the case. Stein is doing his best to make Kentucky a football school.

This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky football gets commitment from 2027 edge Antwoine Higgins Jr.